Implementation of a virtual student placement to improve the application of theory to practice

BACKGROUND: The primary aim of undergraduate, pre-registration nursing education is to prepare students to be nurses who can apply theory to practice, with clinical placements to support the practice element of the clinical programme. However, the theory-practice gap is a longstanding problem within nurse education, as nurses continue to practise with incomplete knowledge to support their actions. PROBLEM: In April 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a reduction in clinical placement capacity that affected student learning opportunities. APPROACH: Based on Miller's pyramid of learning, a virtual placement was created using evidence-based learning theories and an array of multimedia technologies with the intention of replicating real-life experiences and promoting problem-based learning. Scenarios and case studies were collated from clinical experiences and mapped against student proficiencies to produce an authentic and immersive learning environment. CONCLUSION: This innovative pedagogy provides an alternative to the placement experience while enhancing the application of theory to practice.